*****
Emily could see now that Mike had a point. It was seven at night before Jacob had finally wrapped up and went home. He had asked her to make sure the desk was in order before she left. The rest of the magazine team had left hours ago, and Emily was alone, trying to organize the mess of things. Her cell phone told her it was now eight. The windows behind her gave her a fantastic view to the city, which proved to be her worst distraction. Emily couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so tired and so awake at the same time.
She had slid her high heels off and was working in bare feet. Her ponytail had fallen out and her hair was falling in front of her face as she tried to work. Emily was already fretting about days where she would have to work both at the coffee shop and as an intern here. Jacob was focused to the point where he hadn’t even thought of a lunch break until Emily’s stomach had growled so loudly that it had sounded as if an earthquake was going on.
In the distance, Emily heard the elevator softly ding and open. She blinked. Who could be coming in here at this time? Maybe it was Jacob. He seemed focused enough to only need an hour break before he would come back. She got up from around the desk and slowly walked towards the hallway. A shape came into view, but it was dark. The only light left on was the one on Jacob’s desk. Her heart hammered. Maybe it was just a janitor The figure turned around and relief swamped her.
“Alec.”
His eyes widened in surprise, “Emily. You’re still here?”
“Jacob is pretty dedicated. I’m the last one left, but I was just trying to finish things up for him.”
He walked over to her. He had left around mid-day, and she had figured he had gone home. Now she could see that at wasn’t the case. Alec was dressed in another suit and looked as if he had come back from a fancy dinner.
“I just wanted to check up on the place after I left. There was a business dinner I had to go to with investors on the magazine.”
Emily couldn’t help herself, and ended up yawning. Alec smiled. The lights of the city twinkled in on them, giving the hallway a soft light.
“You should go home. You look tired.”
Emily was going to reply when he leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair from her face. The touch was electric. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. He moved his hand away, almost in surprise at himself, and Emily tried to find something to say to fill in the silence.
“I didn’t want to let Jacob down. I want to make sure I can impress him.”
“You are very impressive already.”
Emily tilted her head upwards to look at him, “Am I?”
She hadn’t realized that her breathing had quickened. Her chest was rising and falling, noticeable to Alec who had moved closer to her. The same energy that they had had that night at the club seemed to rocket through them. Her body was warm and it felt as if every sense was on high alert.
“Yes.” Alec breathed, so close to her that she wanted to lean in and kiss him – he was so incredibly handsome, after all.
But she knew she should pull away. Wasn’t he technically her boss now? Wrong, very wrong. Emily was going to say as much when Alec leaned down and their lips touched.
She had always heard the romantic clichés of fireworks going off in your head when you had a really good kiss. But this wasn’t anything like that. This was like a slow volcano had erupted in the center of her body. The warmth that was cascading through her seemed to enflame her desire and she found herself kissing him back. The back of her head said this was wrong, all wrong, but Emily found herself not caring. She wanted this. She had never felt a kiss like this before.
Alec’s hands were trailing down her sides, along her waist, and he gripped her tightly. Every cell in Emily’s body felt as if it was alive and trembling, waiting for Alec to do more. His lips were soft and gentle, and the air felt so electric that Emily swore she could hear vibrations in the tension between them. With a shudder, he forced her back, looking down at her. His eyes were wide and he was shaking his head, mumbling to himself.
“I’m sorry.” He breathed, taking a step back.
“Don’t be.” Although Emily wanted nothing more than for him to touch her again.
He was running his hands through his hair, “No. I shouldn’t have – I…I need to go. Goodnight.”
And then Alec was gone, back in the elevator, leaving Emily alone in the office with the city lights glowing gently on her skin.
The Billionaire's Intern, Book One: Life in a New City Page 7
